Hospital BILLING dept acting as a CA?

[flynn]

Can I cancel pymt? Can I reverse the reaging?

[pryan67]

what are the details?

 

did you send a payment in with a payment stuff, and have the account number and invoice number on the check?

[flynn]

I called it in with a credit card.

 

I used the "account number" on the invoice. It was an ER visit in July, for which I made a pymt arrangement.

 

My old bills at that hospital were years ago.

 

They applied the payment to an old bill and said I BROKE the payment arrangement by not paying!!!

 

This is the billing department!!! Not a CA. Actually, I think it's a CA masquerading as a billing dept, in hindsight.

[Why Chat]

I called it in with a credit card.

 

I used the "account number" on the invoice. It was an ER visit in July, for which I made a pymt arrangement.

 

My old bills at that hospital were years ago. 2 years ago?? 10 years ago?? are they on your credit reports??

 

They applied the payment to an old bill and said I BROKE the payment arrangement by not paying!!!

 

This is the billing department!!! Not a CA. Actually, I think it's a CA masquerading as a billing dept, in hindsight.

You are basically in the same situation as someone who has an old defaulted CC loan through a bank and has their checking/savings account hit for the payment. The releases you signed when you had treatment at the hospital have the same "cross-over" language in them.

I don't see any way of getting the CC Company to reverse the charge, or to sanction the hospital in any way for applying $$ paid to it on your current account to your old one. The subject of "re-aging" would only apply if the "old" account was being reported on your credit reports by their internal ( or external) collection dept. and THAT entry was changed to show payment on the OLD account and the NEW account was added to your reports.

 

Many hospitals who are audited by State agencies for their "no-pays" turn them over to aggresive collection agencies, your hospital appears to take a more lenient approach. Remember there is no effective "SOL" for being sued on a hospital account.

[pryan67]

actually, if the collection department falls under FDCPA, they're in violation...

[Why Chat]

actually, if the collection department falls under FDCPA, they're in violation...

Pryan, I appreciate your zeal in trying to find "violations", however, when it comes to medical, especially hospital debts you should be aware that I have NEVER seen a successful lawsuit against a CA on "violations" of the FDCPA or FCRA unless there was a clear and blatant case of identity theft or other actionable fraud. You need to remember that unpaid hospital bills are absorbed by TAXPAYERS and the Courts have held that hospital bills have the same legal status as Government debts.

Edited January 16, 2008 by Why Chat

[flynn]

so, there's no way to separate out the payments?

 

Any payment made on the current bill can repeatedly be screwed around with like this and I will end up with another new baddie on my record?

 

And, if I make a pymt arrangement for the whole amount, the OC and CA have no reason to take these baddies off whatsoever?

 

unavoidable baddie? Or should I approach them in person and try to do a PA for the new bill and a separate pymt arrangement for the old ones?

Edited January 18, 2008 by flynn

[Why Chat]

so, there's no way to separate out the payments?

 

Any payment made on the current bill can repeatedly be screwed around with like this and I will end up with another new baddie on my record?

 

And, if I make a pymt arrangement for the whole amount, the OC and CA have no reason to take these baddies off whatsoever?

 

unavoidable baddie? Or should I approach them in person and try to do a PA for the new bill and a separate pymt arrangement for the old ones?

If you have paid off the "old" bill to the OC and it is now showing as a paid collection on your reports, you can get it deleted with the HIPAA letter insert "b".

 

I believe that you should get a WRITTEN agreement to pay the WHOLE balance and stick to it.

 

In the long run you will be better off because you will be able to clean ALL of the account off your reports and use the "MedFico" letter once your reports are clean.

[flynn]

Thank you!!